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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Thanks the the wishes and musical offerings everybody! (Especially the Solace, Richard) I had a good day

Rossy, I asked BillyO, and as I suspected, he liked it because it sounds like Siouxsie. Not as good as Siouxsie, he says, but he likes it.

I also asked him about the steam punk stuff. If you're a reader, he says to check out "The Difference Engine" by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. He wasn't familiar with the music, but thinks the Sherlock Holmes movies of late have a steam punk "edge" to 'em.

Well, I'm off to enjoy my last day of freedom before the madness of two weeks of Mardi Gras with one week of Superbowl sandwiched in the middle. I would also like to thank the Atlanta Falcons for losing the playoffs so that we have no cities in the bowl within an easy day's driving distance, decreasing the amount of traffic I may check in later.

Yes, that's what's known here as "A Day in the Life of a Fool." In Brazil it's known as "Manhã de Carnaval" (or in English, "Morning of Carnival"). It cam from the movie Black Orpheus. From what I've read, it has a lot of versions of different lyrics.

The original version sung in Portuguese version is about someone looking forward to Carnaval (which seems to be way cooler than New Orleans' Mardi Gras) and hoping to find love. I like it because it's a gorgeous song and it never seems to be played around here during Mardi Gras.

Here's Tori Amos' version:

"A Day in the Life of a Fool" is about someone wandering around hoping to run into the one who left.

I’ve realized I’ve never posted about “Zarzuela”, the Spanish operetta. It was an interesting genre of music, whose origin starts in the Baroque period, but reached its major popularity along the nineteenth century. Later, along the twentieth century, this genre became revue.

Here we can listen the prelude from “La Verbena de la Paloma” (Pigeon’s fair), one of the most popular zarzuelas, composed by Tomás Bretón. This recording was directed by Ataúlfo Argenta, a great conductor who dignified this genre of music.

Almost all audible sounds are bubble-like in nature, not wave-like, as is commonly believed.If our eyes could see music, they would be bathed in scintillating, kaleidoscope-like patterns.

The Cymascope is an instrument that makes sound, or music, visible, creating detailed 3D impressions of sound or music vibrations. Here, the rapidly expanding sphere is captured in a frozen moment. The interior reveals a beautiful and complex structure representing the rich harmonic nature of violin music.,Music made visible, can be thought of as, analogs of music, because the geometry they contain is a mathematical correlate of the musical pitches and intervals that caused the pattern to form on the Cymascope membrane.

It's a struggle at present to pull myself away from the piano. I've fallen behind on most of my pieces this week and haven't even bothered with Mendelssohn (plus I had week off from the SWW's the previous week) but by contrast I've played a wider variety of pieces than normal as I blow the dust off volumes by Clementi, CPE Bach and Scarlatti, up to the klavierstucke of Brahms.

We begin our usual foray into the world of the classical today with a beautiful piece by Carl Nielsen who wrote this overture while visiting Greece with his wife, who had interests there in the classical artwork. This, the Helios Overture, is inspired by a Greek sunrise.

The last piece before our customary transatlantic leap is from Gottlieb Muffat, son of Georg.

It is from Georg Muffat that we learn of the existence of Corelli's Concerti Grossi as early as 1682, thirty-two years before they published. Muffat had his own newly penned concertos played through at Corelli's house when he stayed in Italy, learning the new Italian style at the keyboard from Pasquini. Muffat also had first hand experience of Lully's orchestral work from an earlier trip to Paris and it was his attempt to combine the two nationalist styles in his own works, along with the awareness of them being promoted in Germany by Telemann, Fischer, Kuhnau et al, that shaped Bach's musical style. Without Muffat music history would be a rather different story.

Here is a delightful chaconne played on harpsichord, intended as a welcome for Eglantine who has thus far only made a fleeting visit to announce her return. We will charitably assume she is as busy on her new Foster as I am on my new Kawai.

Over to you, Carl. My appetite is well whetted for your offerings this week.

Excellent postings Richard!! I hope you are enjoying your new piano. I've been having trouble just squeezing in enough time on my piano this last week. However, I'll soon get some quality time at it later today.

Good morning everyone! My first selection will be the "Alleluia" from Vivaldi’s motet Clarae stellae, scintillate, RV625. The soloist is countertenor, Andreas Scholl.

Ridolfo Luigi Boccherini was an Italian classical era composer and cellist whose music retained a courtly and galante style while he matured somewhat apart from the major European musical centers, according to my notes. Boccherini is most widely known for one particular minuet from his String Quintet in E, Op. 11, No. 5 (G 275), and the Cello Concerto in B flat major (G 482).

I am more familiar with the Concerto In G Major for Cello and Orchestra G480. Here is Movement III, Allegro.

Boccherini - Concerto In G Major for Cello and Orchestra G480: III. Allegro

My first introduction to the music of Arvo Part was a few years ago when I heard Spiegel im Spiegel on a local public radio program. Eventually, I bought an album of his works and discovered some of the beautiful choral works he has created. "Magnificat" is one of my favorite choral pieces from his album. This performance is by the Robert Shaw Festival Singers.

"Fanfare for the Common Man" is a 20th-century American classical music work by American composer Aaron Copland. The piece was written in 1942 for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under conductor Eugene Goossens. It has become widely used in a variety of musical productions in both the United States and United Kingdom.

This will be my final posting for today. However, be sure to check in later for Richard's Sunday finale to our classical postings. I'm looking forward to it! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

I was intrigued by the Northumberland Brass. Brass bands are a great tradition in the north of England; 's odd that these are a troupe from Charlotte and only 15 of them. The traditional British brass band is 28. I'm an ex-trumpeter so I know a little about this (though they use cornets, not trumpets, in brass bands).

We finish today's Sunday Classical with Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks.

There are many "pairs" in the course of music history from Bach and Handel, Haydn and Mozart, up to Debussy and Ravel, and Bruckner and Mahler but there are many differences between the two giants of the Baroque era.

They were not born far apart in either time or distance but the two never met, though Bach tried a couple of times to meet Handel it seems Handel wasn't concerned about meeting Bach.

Bach wrote for the glory of God and most of the music published in his lifetime was of a pedagogic nature. Even in his mighty St Matthew's Passion when writing for many voices he was fastidious in ensuring even the inner parts complied with the practise of his day of avoiding parallel fifths and octaves.

Handel on the other hand was a showman. He wrote nearly fifty operas and many oratorios. Even his fugues were showy compared to the strict discipline of Bach.

Bach was employed throughout his life by the church, the court or the city but Handel was a wealthy businessman and impresario. Even his Water Music and this Fireworks suite were showy and theatrical, written for grand and royal occasions. This was composed at the request of George II of Great Britain to celebrate the end of the War of the Austrian Succession.

Rostosky
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Registered: 04/30/11
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Brilliant wayne, I have gone and read up on your post and will report back soon, Thanks bro,. I had a theory that has tied in with that and have held it for many years indeed.

My next post on my weekly big issue may well be called " reiki" OR "some folk will believe any BS" or even " How to earn a living from dishing out nowt" I am not quite sure what to call it, and ask for submissions from all concerned on RST.

_________________________

Rise like lions after slumber,in unvanquishable number. Shake your chains to earth like dewwhich in sleep has fallen on you. Ye are many,they are few. Shelley

Same here Rossy, the sound looks atom like, don't you think? I've spent a year and a bit thinking and reading about atoms, the universe, matter, positive/negative........ there's just so much to take in. But I'm finding it very enlightening

"An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. This ability is passed on during an "attunement" given by a Reiki master and allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve one's health and enhance the quality of life. "

This made me wonder about your beliefs in this and whether they would change if Milla or Helena were Reiki Masters.

I haven't heard this in ages. The Cardigans covering Iron Man. It works.

just wondering, is there anyone here who could listen to a potential ABF recital entry of mine and let me know if the quality of the recording is at least good enough that the entry won't be irritating to listeners? I have no around here to give a listen and don't trust my own ears on this (partly because I don't want to have to record it again because of severe red dot syndrome. however the recorder was on the poorest quality recording when I did the take which I only realized after the fact.) I'm just going for paper napkin, not linen, but perhaps it isn't even that.

btw the piece is rachmaninoff's prelude 32/12. it's a work in progress......the right hand is too loud through the beginning, my playing is uneven, and parts sounds rushed, even though the entire piece is still on the slow side. also the dynamics need attention. so...still needs lots of practice. like everything else I play.

i have the piece on box.net right now. just don't know how to give anyone on here access to it. does this work?

Thanks so much Griffin and Recaredo for listening to my piece. I take it then it is passable but could be much better in terms of quality of the recording. I'll see what I can do. It might have to do as is for this recital, and for the next one maybe I can figure out a better way to record (like hooking up the digital right to the computer). The digital piano is old and not the best quality in terms of sound so it won't ever sound great. but somewhat better would be nice.

and for the next one maybe I can figure out a better way to record (like hooking up the digital right to the computer).

This is definitely your best bet.You should be able to get a recording similar to what you'd hear through a good set of headphones.You'll also lose the piano key noises.Good effort on the piece, it's difficult.I have an ambition to play it one day.